English-medium courses at the University of Oulu: Experiences of Teaching

1
English-medium courses at the University of
Oulu Experiences of Teaching Learning
Language Centre Sabine Grasz Suzy McAnsh,
Teaching Development Unit Tiina Salmijärvi
2
Some background

• The University of Oulu, like other Finnish
  universities, is concerned with
• attracting foreign students
• preparing its Finnish students for their future
  careers in an international working environment.

requests from the facultiesfor support
Rectors brief toLanguage Centre
responsibility for developing the quality of
courses taught through English
plans to create a 4-credit course for teachers
who teach their subject through English
3

• Before we set out to design the course, we began
  by establishing the needs of teachers for support
  in English-medium teaching

4
Survey of previous work

• Lehtonen et al. 1999. Teaching through English at
  the University of Helsinki
• Tella et al. 1999. From Tool to Empowering
  Mediator
• Pedaforum - syksy 2, 2002 (variety of reports)
• handbooks about ITA training in the USA, for
  example,
• University of Syracuse
• University of California at San Diego
• University of Connecticut

5
Our own survey

• Two extensive electronic surveys were carried
  out at the University of Oulu in April 2008
• The first was sent to about 700 students
• submitted by 113 (47 with native language other
  than Finnish), who had participated in courses
  taught through English.
• The second was sent to 900 teachers
• returned by 85 (14 with native language other
  than Finnish), who had
• experience of teaching through English
• or the intention to teach through English.

6
Our own survey

• By means of the survey, we sought the answers to
  a variety of questions, such as
• whether present study approaches and teaching
  formats are supportive of learning,
• how teachers and students evaluate the learning
  outcomes achieved on English-medium courses,
• whether staff and students consider their
  language skills adequate for the range of
  purposes for which they are needed,
• how students and teachers perceive academic
  cultural differences in the multicultural
  classroom.

7
Profile of studentsrepresented in the survey 1/2
8
Profile of studentsrepresented in the survey 2/2
9
Profile of teachersrepresented in the survey
10

• The survey provided some interesting
  perspectives

11
How do teachers and students evaluate the
learning outcomes achieved on English-medium
courses?
12
Do staff and students consider their language
skills adequate for teaching and learning
through English? 1/3
How do the students evaluate their own language
skills for studying through English?
13
Do staff and students consider their language
skills adequate for teaching and learning
through English? 2/3
In which areas do the students cope less than
well?
14
Do staff and students consider their language
skills adequate for teaching and learning
through English? 3/3
In which areas do teachers consider they
themselves cope less than well?

• giving lectures
  28.6
• asking and answering questions
  22.8
• writing instructions and handouts
  20.1
• indicating relationships between familiar and
  new 19.8
• understanding what students say
  19.0
• reading course literature
  18.8
• written communication
  18.2
• field-related terminology
  10.3

15
What sorts of learning opportunities are
preferred? 1/2

• Learning formats most supportive of learning
  (students view)
• small-group tutorials
• e.g. discussions, thesis workshops, maths
  problem-solving
• lectures
• demonstrations or practicals in a laboratory or
  workshop
• independent study alone

• appropriacy of the learning format depends on
• the discipline
• the purpose
• the context

16
What sorts of learning opportunities are
preferred? 2/2

• Other observations by students
• Learning situations considered efficient when
  students
• work actively
• apply their theoretical knowledge in practice
• think for themselves
• teach others
• Different learning formats in combination can
  support learning.

• Students expressed a wish for more opportunities
  for
• field work
• demonstrations or practicals in a laboratory or
  workshop
• individual tutoring and advising
• small group tutorials

17
How do students and teachers perceive the
behaviour of students from other national
academic cultures?

• Survey respondents attribute certain behaviours
  and attitudes to national academic cultural
  backgrounds, for example,
• activity and passivity
• approaches to rules and authorities (attention to
  teacher, punctuality, deadlines, interrupting,
  cheating)
• teacher-student relationships (power distance)
• interaction between students (social
  interactionrate, cooperation/competition)
• achievement-orientation
• attention to details or to the big picture
  (field dependency)

18
What differences between courses taught through
English and courses taught through Finnish were
observed by students and staff?

• Use of a language which is not the mother tongue
  could lead to
• passivity in discussion and asking questions
• anxiety in taking an active role in class
• more superficial discussion or treatment of a
  topic
• a deceleration of the whole learning process

19
What are the main challenges when teaching an
English-medium course?

• exploiting multicultural perspectives
• managing classroom interaction and activating
  students
• accommodating different cultural backgrounds and
  expectations of students
• facilitating effective group work and independent
  study
• producing teaching material in English (time
  consuming!)
• translating terminology (discipline-dependent
  factor )
• students language skills
• teachers own language skills

20
What are the main challenges when learning on an
English-medium course?

• teachers language skills
• lack of explicit instructions and poor information

• Students also mentioned the following as
  challenges
• own language skills
• communication with (Finnish) fellow students
• limited number of courses offered in English
• unwillingness of the teachers to teach in English
• culture shock and different expectations
• lack of material in English

21
In what ways do teachers need to develop their
skills? 1/3

• In the students view, teachers could improve
  their skills in the following areas
• confidence in speaking English, fluency and
  pronunciation
• knowledge of vocabulary (terminology)
• wording of instructions and exam questions
• provision of more tutoring opportunities for
  those who need them

22
In what ways do teachers need to develop their
skills? 2/3

• Teachers perceive a need to develop their skills
  in the following areas
• pedagogical skills for promoting learning
• methods and techniques for motivating and
  activating students
• consideration of students cultural and
  educational backgrounds
• adapting the style of communication to the
  audience
• continually developing teaching technologies
• oral fluency in formal and informal situations
• preparing written materials handouts,
  instructions, feedback
• professional terminology
• pronunciation

23
In what ways do teachers need to develop their
skills? 3/3

• Teachers also expressed wishes for
• student, expert and peer feedback
• services for language checking and translation of
  course materials
• reference materials
• benchmarking with successful courses

24

• What next?

25

• The survey indicated that most teachers who
  teach their subject through English
• have good or excellent language skills
• have a high level of knowledge of their own
  subject
• make considerable efforts to help their students
  learn

However, our findings indicated that many
teachers who teach English-medium courses have a
clear need and wish for support.
and so
26

• The University of Oulu will offer a four-credit
  course in autumn 2008
• SET-UP
• Support for English-medium Teaching in the
  University Programmes
• The course content will be informed by the survey
  findings.
• The course will be produced through cooperation
  between
• the Language Centre
• the Teaching Development Unit
• International Relations.
• The main focus areas will be combined in an
  integrated package
• pedagogical skills
• cultural competence
• language development.

27
(No Transcript)